Cumulus Media’s NASH Country Pulse Poll Reveals What Would Happen if Country Music Stars Went Back-to-School

Country Music Listeners Want Blake Shelton to Save Them from Study Hall, Think Reba McEntire Would be the Best Music Teacher, and Pick Tim McGraw and Faith Hill as Homecoming King and Queen

August 29, 2017

Cumulus Media today presents the second in a series of NASH Country Pulse Poll consumer surveys featuring fun facts for going “Back to School.” NASH, #1 for Country, leveraged its deep knowledge of the Country audience and its NASH Country Pulse Poll to reveal Country fans’ favorite lifestyle inspirations as they head back to the classroom.

Here are some key findings:

Hall Passes and Risky Business

With a boring study hall on their schedule, respondents would be looking to Blake Shelton to save them. Over half the respondents (57%) voted Blake Shelton as the class clown.

Sliding through in the living room in their socks, these participants (27%) felt like jamming out to Garth Brooks’ “Friends in Low Places” for their “Risky Business” moment.

The Crown

With 39% of the votes, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill were chosen as the Homecoming King and Queen; with runner-ups Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood holding 23% of the votes.

After the crowning of the Homecoming King and Queen, 30% of the respondents said they would want to slow dance to “When You Say Nothing At All,” by Allison Krause.

An Apple for the Teacher

Reba McEntire is a school favorite among the respondents, as one in four indicated the Country superstar would make the best music teacher.

Fashion Forward

61% of respondents felt the most important item on their back to school shopping list is clothes.

For their Back-to-School style inspiration, the ladies turned to Miranda Lambert (39%) with Carrie Underwood in a close second at 34%. Meanwhile, Dierks Bentley was the clear choice among men, pulling in 47% of the male votes.

Food Fight!

The Dixie Chicks literally take the cake as the Country group to most likely make the first throw in a cafeteria food fight. 28% of the respondents voted for the girl group; Zac Brown Band followed right behind them with 25% of the votes.

Country radio listeners across the U.S. were polled using Katz Media’s national consumer panel. The full reveal of The NASH Country Pulse Poll series can be found online at NASH Country Daily, a leading Cumulus Media property, covering the music and lifestyles of country’s biggest stars.

About Cumulus Media

A leader in the radio broadcasting industry, Cumulus Media (NASDAQ:CMLS) combines high-quality local programming with iconic, nationally syndicated media, sports and entertainment brands to deliver premium content choices to the 245 million people reached each week through its 447 owned-and-operated stations broadcasting in 90 US media markets (including eight of the top 10), 8,000 broadcast radio stations affiliated with its Westwood One network and numerous digital channels. Together, the Cumulus/Westwood One platforms make Cumulus Media one of the few media companies that can provide advertisers with national reach and local impact. Cumulus/Westwood One is the exclusive radio broadcast partner to some of the largest brands in sports, entertainment, news, and talk, including the NFL, the NCAA, the Masters, the Olympics, the GRAMMYs, the Academy of Country Music Awards, the American Music Awards, the Billboard Music Awards, Westwood One News, and more. Additionally, it is the nation's leading provider of country music and lifestyle content through its NASH brand, which serves country fans nationwide through radio programming, exclusive digital content, and live events. For more information, visit www.cumulus.com.
Press Contact: Jana Polsky | Westwood One |jpolsky@westwoodone.com | (212) 641-2101

Westwood One, the national-facing arm of Cumulus Media, offers iconic, nationally syndicated sports, news and entertainment content to 245 million listeners each week across an audio network of 8,000 affiliated broadcast radio stations and media partners. Westwood One is the largest audio broadcast network in America, home to premium content that defines the culture, including the NFL, the NCAA, the Masters, the Olympics, Westwood One Backstage, the GRAMMYs, the Academy of Country Music Awards, and the Billboard Music Awards. The rapidly growing Westwood One Podcast Network delivers popular network and industry personalities and programs. Westwood One connects listeners with their passions through programs and platforms that have everyone listening.